Page 57 of In Cold Blood (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #1)
T he evidence accumulated would mark the beginning of the end.
The raid of High Peaks Pub and Brewery that evening would come without any advance notice or the permission of the owner.
Unlike a standard search warrant issued by a judge, the no-knock warrant would allow them to forcefully enter the property under the belief that evidence would be destroyed or removed between the time they announced themselves and the moment of securing the scene.
Under the suspicious circumstances surrounding Luke’s death, Noah had prepped State Police in advance to stop all delivery trucks heading out of the town in the hours leading up to the search that evening.
And they would.
Like throwing a wide net over the county, his brothers in arms and several agencies would be involved in one of the biggest takedowns since Operation Heat Wave.
By late afternoon the conference room inside the Sheriff’s Office was packed. Noah stood at the end of a table, flanked by Thorne, Hendrix, and Sheriff Roberts .
Nearby, Michael Bailey from Narcotics and six state troopers, three SWAT guys, and a handful of sheriff’s deputies who had just started their shifts for that evening were present.
Roberts took a thick black pen and began marking out the areas on a map that would be targeted.
“A patrol on the water will hit Hawk Island, the rest of us will be over here at the brewery.” He dragged the pen around the establishment and marked out key areas of the town that would need to be monitored.
The last thing they wanted was another high-speed pursuit.
Roberts glanced at Noah as if to suggest the last one could have been avoided.
Often pursuits were called off if law enforcement believed there was a danger to the public or they crossed into another county.
“SWAT will head up Team A, who’ll be positioned here,” he said, marking an entrance. “Team B will come in from here. The premises are under surveillance as we speak. Noah and Axel will go with Bailey from Narcotics. Any questions?”
He addressed concerns as they arose.
“Okay. You’ll be leaving here at twenty-one hundred. Be safe. Good luck, guys.”
Before leaving, Roberts took hold of Noah’s arm and pulled him to one side. “I have to say I was surprised by what you managed to unearth. I hope you are right about this. This might be our last chance. If we come up empty, we are going to have civil lawsuits coming out of the yin-yang.”
Noah agreed.
On the surface everything appeared to be going to plan, however, there was much that was occurring beneath the surface to which only a few were privy.
All of it was done for good reason: to confirm evidence he’d uncovered.
Like peeling back the layers of an onion, it couldn’t all be done at once.
As darkness fell over the town, Noah sat in the back of a SWAT van, Axel at the ready.
He pressed the comms unit into his ear. The earpiece connected with a shoulder mic.
That night he was wearing a black windbreaker with the words STATE POLICE on the back.
Beneath that were a dark shirt and ballistic vest. The air was humid that evening.
Sweat trickled down the side of his face.
Although he knew they wouldn’t come up empty-handed this time, nervousness roiled in his stomach.
“What’s the SITREP?” he asked over the comms.
“Still on the phone,” a state trooper said.
Unbeknownst to the Sheriff’s Office, there were troopers in unmarked vehicles both at the Sheriff’s Office and throughout the town.
The heavy presence of State at the office also served a purpose.
It was a simple matter of keeping people on their toes and forcing out the individual who they expected to tip off Harry Carter.
“Coslo?” Noah asked.
“We’ve got a flurry of movement at the loading dock,” a reply came back.
“Okay, hold. Keep recording.”
Everything would be used.
Although Noah had expected an arrest to be made sooner, it confirmed the corroborating evidence. Now he was keen to see how they’d done it the last time they had the search warrant. It was all a simple matter of collecting more evidence. The more they had, the more likely it would hold up in court.
“Trucks are pulling out,” Coslo said. “Coming your way.”
“Let them get beyond Main Street and then take them down,” Noah said.
Those final minutes felt like hours. Perspiration trickled down his face as he stared at an officer who had a drone flying overhead.
The cop stared at the unit in front of him on his lap.
Noah smiled. Technology made it easy for them and that much harder for criminals.
He had to give it to those involved, they had done one hell of a job.
“It’s a go!” the cop said.
One of the SWAT team banged on the van and that was all it took.
What happened next occurred fast. The idling truck lurched forward and within less than a minute came to an abrupt stop.
Voices over the comms unit revealed the sudden wave of State, Sheriff’s Office, and local PD moving in on other trucks heading in different directions, along with law enforcement raiding the island and the brewery.
Doors swung open.
SWAT climbed out with Noah in tow. Commands were given. The driver got out and was brought to the ground and cuffed. A SWAT officer opened up the back of the truck to reveal the cargo. Crates and crates of wine, beer, and spirits all with the brewery’s label — High Peaks Brewery.
One by one they pulled down crates and Axel went to work.
As expected, among the many crates full of real alcohol were bottles filled with liquid morphine. Right there and then, Narcotics Officer Michael Bailey from High Peaks PD did a simple opiate roadside test to confirm it.
“It’s positive!”
It was the news Noah wanted.
The arrests that followed were swift.
Noah was outside the brewery talking to Ray as they hauled out Harry Carter that evening.
The sight of his sorry ass in handcuffs brought a smile to his face.
“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!” he shouted.
Axel barked. Although they’d managed to remove the bottles of morphine, the machinery still held a residue and the property was full of evidence this time.
Noah couldn’t resist.
After Harry was placed in the back of a cruiser, he approached and opened the door. Expletives were hurled at Noah, threats that his career in law enforcement would be over and that he would suffer public ridicule.
“You done?” Noah said, a grin forming as he leaned on the car door and peered in.
“I have to admit this was probably one of the savviest narcotics enterprises I’ve ever seen.
Using genetically modified yeast to brew liquid morphine and then distribute it in brewery bottles from convenience stores run by those you invited to the island. How convenient.”
Harry narrowed his eyes. “Fuck you!”
All Noah could do was relish the sight of him in cuffs.
“I mean, who would even imagine it could be done, let alone consider a local brewery using their equipment and then transporting it all in liquor trucks? The ability to transport narcotics under the nose of police all over the country, I mean who wouldn’t want that?
” He eyed him. “Operation Heat Wave… who needs that, right? That’s just low-hanging fruit that you didn’t care about.
Not when there was big money to be made with home-brew opiates.
It’s crazy to think that anyone with access to specific yeast strains and basic skills in fermentation could create morphine.
Ten grams of morphine. An addict would only need one or two milliliters of liquid to get a standard dose.
It’s a gold mine! Illegal. But a gold mine, nonetheless.
” He paused as a smile formed. “And to think, such a brilliant idea was outsmarted by a K-9. A little old dog.”
“Screw you! You haven’t heard the last from me! I will take your job. I will…”
“Have a good evening, Mr. Carter! ”
Noah slammed the door with satisfaction, shutting out the sound of his cursing.
“You got pleasure out of that, didn’t you?” Callie said with a smile, sidling up to him as he made his way back to the Bronco.
“Sure did.” He chuckled.
Her smile vanished. “So they took him in.”
“That’s right.”
She was referring to Deputy Hendrix who State Police had arrested outside placing a call to Harry Carter and tipping him off.
Callie shook her head. “How did you know he was involved?”
He smiled. “You’ll see. Come on,” he said as they prepared to head back to the Sheriff’s Office. Axel leaped into the back with a spring in his step. Even the dog seemed to be aware of the shift in Noah’s demeanor. It was hard to conceal his sense of relief now that justice would be served.